Chapter 89: The First Half (4)
“Uhaha! Pour it! Drink up!”
“Handsome Ricardo! Look over here!”
“Young Lord! No, Baron, hooray!”
“For the victory of Ferdium!”
Everyone, drunk and cheerful, shouted with excitement.
After the hardships of war, nothing beats alcohol and food to soothe the weariness.
With a smile, Ghislain watched them, then turned away and quietly left the banquet hall.
‘It’s only right for those who endured the hardships to enjoy the joy of victory...’
But there were also those who couldn’t share in this joy—specifically, the families of those who had sacrificed their lives.
Although Ferdium’s casualties were fewer compared to the enemy’s scale, there were still those who had died.
Their families would not be able to overcome their grief anytime soon.
Ghislain sought them out, holding their hands and offering words of comfort. He also promised them substantial compensation.
It was a duty that originally fell to the lord, and Zwalter would have gladly taken on the task, but Ghislain acted without hesitation.
‘Because part of this responsibility is mine.’
He didn’t regret it.
If he hadn’t done so, Ferdium would have fallen, and the people of the land would have either died or suffered in torment.
Yet, he couldn’t deny that sacrifices had been made because of him.
He was the one who had hastened the war and expanded its scale.
Since it was a war he had initiated to protect everyone, the victims deserved adequate consolation and compensation.
Ghislain, accompanied only by Belinda and Gillian, visited the families of the fallen.
He couldn’t do this forever...
But before leaving Ferdium, he wanted to comfort his people at least once and compensate them for their sacrifice.
“Thank you. Thank you, Young Lord.”
Every person Ghislain met bowed their heads to him in gratitude.
They were thankful to the heir of the estate who had come all the way to offer his condolences, ensuring they were not forgotten.
They understood that it would have been far worse had they lost the war.
But the grief of losing a loved one could not be easily overcome.
Gillian quietly followed Ghislain, observing everything from behind.
‘I thought he was someone who only cared about efficiency.’
He knew that Ghislain took good care of his people, but he didn’t expect him to go this far for the people of the land.
Ghislain would soon be leaving Ferdium.
Even though there was nothing for him to gain by doing this, he took it upon himself to meet with the bereaved families.
“Sniff.”
“What’s wrong, Belinda? Are you crying?”
“No? When did I ever?”
Belinda glared at Ghislain with eyes welling with tears.
To her, the soldiers of the land were like friends, so the sadness was all the greater.
Ghislain chuckled softly and placed a handkerchief in Belinda’s hand.
“Let’s call it a day and head back.”
Even after returning to the castle, he didn’t go directly to the banquet hall but instead checked on the wounded before finally seeking out Vanessa.
“Vanessa, are you feeling any better?”
“Ah... Young Lord.”
Ghislain gently stopped Vanessa from trying to rise from her bed and sat beside her.
“You did really well. Thanks to you, we were able to win the war.”
Under his warm gaze, she smiled softly.
She was happy to have been of help, to have repaid the favor.
But above all else, she was most delighted that she had finally been recognized as a magician in her own right.
As the two smiled at each other, a voice, barely clinging to life, came from the side.
“Damn it... Am I invisible...?”
Alfoi, panting heavily, glared at Ghislain. Ghislain feigned surprise, widening his eyes.
“Alfoi, you’re here too? Right, you did well too. Good job.”
“Ugh, you damn bastard...”
Alfoi ground his teeth, glaring daggers at Ghislain.
It was thanks to him that his mana had been completely drained, nearly leading him to death, yet Ghislain acted so nonchalantly.
No matter how many times they visited, it was always a remarkably clean and impressive city.
“Oh my! You’ve arrived! Please, come right in!”
The gatekeeper, who had once been stiff and formal, promptly opened the doors as soon as he spotted Ghislain.
Sylvain, who had been stationed in the lobby, immediately bowed at a steep angle upon seeing Ghislain.
“It’s an honor to have you visit again! I’ll send word right away.”
Sylvain hurriedly led Ghislain to the Tower Master.
Hubert, the Tower Master, greeted Ghislain with an exaggeratedly emotional expression.
“Oh my! Come in! Did you win the war? Well, you must have, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. What happened?”
There had been magicians dispatched to Ferdium, but given the sensitive matter of the Runestones, Hubert had been keenly keeping up with the news through his own channels.
Thanks to this, he had quickly learned that a war had broken out.
However, he hadn’t yet heard the outcome or the detailed events, and the uncertainty had made him anxious. Seeing Ghislain arrive in person brought him a great sense of relief.
Ghislain responded to the overly enthusiastic welcome with a playful smile.
“It seems you’ve been eagerly waiting for me.”
“You don’t know how worried we were, wondering if we’d be caught in the crossfire. I never expected the war to break out so soon.”
“You should never underestimate the ambitions of the lords.”
Hubert nodded in agreement.
He hadn’t thought that war would break out so easily, but events had unfolded in direct contradiction to that belief.
In this regard, the insight of this young man was something to be commended.
“Well, take a seat. Did you come to sell Runestones? I didn’t see a wagon with you. No, more importantly, how did you manage to win? Tell me all about it.”
Ghislain leisurely sipped his tea, drawing out the moment.
Hubert fidgeted impatiently, like a dog with its tail on fire.
Ghislain, satisfied with Hubert’s reaction, spoke leisurely.
“It wasn’t much. I just buried all the Runestones I had gathered in the ground and detonated them.”
“...What?”
Hubert blinked, struggling to comprehend the shocking statement.
Soon, understanding the full scope of what had happened, Hubert shouted in disbelief.
“This is insane! I knew you weren’t in your right mind, but I never thought it was this bad!”
With that many Runestones, if they had gone over there themselves... Even if they couldn’t directly assist, they surely would have found another way to help!
“You should’ve just handed them all over to us instead. We could’ve brought a team of magicians with us!”
Hubert lamented, recalling the cart full of Runestones from their previous transaction.
Ghislain lowered his voice subtly and asked, “Were you really planning to send magicians to help?”
Hubert hesitated for a moment before nodding vigorously.
“Of course! We would’ve found a way to assist, without a doubt!”
Now that the war was over, there was no harm in saying whatever sounded good.
Flattering Ghislain a bit and keeping the flow of Runestones was all that mattered.
Ghislain responded with a knowing smile at Hubert’s confident words.
In a voice as smooth as a serpent’s, Ghislain said,
“I’m truly moved by the Tower Master’s generosity. I never imagined you’d think of me so fondly. It’s really reassuring.”
“Ahem, well, it’s nothing. We’ve established a good working relationship, after all. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t see it that way, right?”
“As expected from the master of the Crimson Flame Tower. To think you’re such an honorable figure—clearly, I must have misunderstood you before. I apologize for any disrespectful behavior on my part. I’d be thrilled if we could continue our mutually beneficial relationship in the future.”
Ghislain’s words were as slick as oil, smooth and flattering.
Hubert, feeling a bit embarrassed, coughed awkwardly.
He had tossed out some empty words just to keep Ghislain in good spirits, but now Ghislain was turning the praise back on him.
Then, Ghislain added with a broad grin, “With such an understanding nature, it makes it easier for me to speak openly. I was worried about how to bring this up... but it’s great to see we’re on the same page.”
Hubert suddenly felt a twinge of unease.
Come to think of it, the last time he made offhand remarks, it had cost him...
‘Why did he come here, anyway?’
The contract with the tower still had plenty of time left.
Could it be that he had just come to boast about winning the war?
‘No, that can’t be. He’s strange, but he wouldn’t come all this way for such a trivial reason.’
He’d learned that much from their previous dealings.
Ghislain Ferdium was not the kind of person to accept a loss.
He wouldn’t waste days talking about something that wouldn’t profit him.
With a trembling voice, Hubert asked, “W-What is it? What did you come here to say?”
“It seems I won’t be able to sell any more Runestones. I’m terribly sorry about this.”
Hubert’s face crumpled instantly at those words.